Syracuse picked second in ACC, CJ Fair earns Preseason Player of the Year honors

Syracuse was picked to finish second in the ACC behind Duke at ACC basketball media day. SU forward CJ Fair was selected as ACC Preseason Player of the Year after leading the Orange in scoring (14.5 ppg) and rebounding (7.0 rpg) in his junior season.

Syracuse received three first place votes, while Duke received 50 of 54 first place votes. North Carolina rounded out the top three, receiving the other top vote. Fair received 17 votes, narrowly edging Virginia’s Joe Harris, who finished with 16 first place votes.

Fair was named ACC Preseason Player of the Year

The two were also named to the ACC First Team, along with Duke’s Rodney Hood and Jabari Parker, and Notre Dame’s Jerian Grant, the older brother of Syracuse sophomore Jerami Grant. Parker was named the Preseason Rookie of the Year, while Syracuse guard Tyler Ennis received a vote.

It was an auspicious day for the old Big East, which also featured No. 5 Notre Dame and No. 6 Pittsburgh. Louisville, who will join the ACC in 2014, would likely have been in the top six, as well.

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Wes has worked for Rivals.com covering the New York Knicks, as well as for Scout.com covering Syracuse athletics. Wes has also worked for the South China Morning Post (Hong Kong) and reported on the NBA and MLB for the New York Sportscene. A native of Long Island, New York, Wes graduated from Syracuse University in 2005. Follow him on Twitter @ChengWes.